Craig Berube reveals why he had to bench William Nylander
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube benched William Nylander at the end of Saturday night's game, and there is a very good explanation for the move.
William Nylander missed morning skate on Saturday with an illness, although he ended up playing, much to the delight of Leafs fans.
Dakota Joshua also had an illness going into last night's game against the Edmonton Oilers, although the forward decided he wasn't ready to go.
While Leafs fans were happy to see Nylander in the lineup, their happiness quickly devolved into annoyance, as the superstar winger had his worst game of the season.
He only played 13 minutes and had a -3 rating during that span. He was clearly gassed on the bench, and you have to wonder why he was allowed to play in the first place.
Craig Berube speaks about William Nylander's rough night
After the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke to the media, where he explained why he made the decision to bench his forward.
He wasn't even close to 75 per cent. I mean, he was sick. But he played. I didn't feel there was any reason to keep playing him.
The Maple Leafs got completely trounced, as the Edmonton Oilers won the game by a score of 6-3, all while the Leafs had one of their worst efforts of the season.
Berube's decision to play Nylander is going to be seen as a mistake, especially when you consider how Matias Maccelli was ready to go.
After a streak of six-straight games with points, the Leafs now find themselves sliding in the Atlantic Division all over again.
Some difficult conversations are going to need to be had, and a lot of them should be centered around Berube, who is making a lot of bad choices these days.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14 | 424 ANSWERS Craig Berube reveals why he had to bench William Nylander Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should have kept William Nylander out from the beginning? | ||
| YES | 298 | 70.3 % |
| NO | 126 | 29.7 % |
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